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Ultimate Pitchman 'Loved to Sell'

“We don’t normally interview passengers if injuries are not reported,” spokeswoman Laura Brown said. “There is no way of knowing if Billy Mays had a seat belt on or not at this point.”

Mays’ family has remained largely silent since his death.

“As you can imagine, the family is devastated,” McElroy said.

His wife released a statement through Tampa police after asking them to handle all publicity.

“Although Billy lived a public life, we don’t anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days,” the statement said. “Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times.”

In a previous Twitter post, Mays said he was preparing for his third hip replacement in Tampa today. His family said he was in good health otherwise, according to police.

“My dad didn’t wake up this morning,” Mays’ son, Billy, said on his Twitter page Sunday morning. “I’m thankful I got to talk to my Dad last night. I miss him immensely already. But I feel him with me.”

He also mentioned a movement on Twitter to wear blue today in honor of the elder Mays’ trademark color. He said he didn’t start the “#wearblue4billy” call, but “it made me smile, and my dad would surely be honored.”

Mays was regarded as the “king of infomercials” and widely acknowledged as the most successful direct-response TV salesman in history.

His energy and distinctive looks, with an ever-present grin framed by black hair and a beard, created a household image that Forbes magazine said accounted for more than $1 billion in combined sales with producer and partner Anthony “Sully” Sullivan.

Mays’ and Sullivan’s most recent venture was the Discovery Channel realty series “Pitchmen,” which launched in April.

“Billy was a pioneer in his field and helped many people fulfill their dreams,” spokeswoman Elizabeth Hillman said in a statement posted on the channel’s Web site Sunday.

The show was a chance for viewers to peek in on Mays’ work, said Dan Wooley, Mays’ brother-in-law.

“Finally for him and for Sully, people got to see more of the behind-the-scenes mystique of how products really get where they are,” Wooley said.

“Billy was a really great guy, genuine and a wonderful husband who remained very approachable even with his climb in the public eye.

“He was just Billy to us.”

Mays took great pleasure in working a product and seeing it go from nothing to a success, Wooley said.

“He loved to sell. He loved to pitch,” Wooley said. “He was good at it. You could see that on his face.”

Mays customarily would go for a swim at a local YMCA and take his family to dinner.

“He’d go to a couple nice restaurants, but he mostly wore flip-flops, shorts and a T-shirt,” Wooley said. “People would approach him all the time to shake his hand and say ‘hi.’” Mays occasionally visited Wooley’s business, Rigazzi’s Pizza & Restaurant in New Port Richey.

“I didn’t learn how to sell like him, but we definitely reaped the benefit of him coming in here,” Wooley said.

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